Sabre

[rrc62]

Please excuse all the kite questions but I figure who better to ask than the guys who fly Flexi kites every day. I really like the Sabre kite as a snow traction kite. I really like everything about it. The swivel harness, the depower, etc. I was told by my Flexi rep that the Sabre was an awson snowkiting, boarding and buggy kite, but it won't generate lift and therefore won't get big air. Is this true? Or is it just that the Sabre will not generate the lift of a Blade, but will still do OK for an average user?

 

Thanks...Ross

[Dibz]

from what i have seen and used... they have plenty of lift

 

they aren't the liftiest kites out there, but no slouch

[Guest Nevermind]

All i know is that some of the Ozone riders went onto sabres erlaly this year!!!!

 

Craig

[oc1rob]

They do gerenare plenty of lift but they do it in a different manner to say a blade. The depowerability of the sabre (and similar kites) means that you need to get the timing a bit more accurate to get the best out of them.

[Lem]

No problem with lift on a Sabre - needs the right technique, as does the Frenzy. 9.5 is the pick of the bunch.

[Dibz]

9.5 is the pick of the bunch.

 

agree 100% with that statement the 11.5 and 7 'almost' overlap so if you wanted a sabre for all occaisions, you would only NEED to buy those 2, BUT the 9.5 is the nicest for flying

[kyle smith]

i also agree that the 9.5 is the best sabre

[lewiss]

yeah sabres are well good kites, i use an 11.5m and the only problem i had with it, is the bridles getting tangled. great kite, the only thing i can knock it on is it's reverse launching.

im very confident with this kite, as every time iv'e been lofted out my buggy by it i've always come down slowly, so no problem with the float.

i've found it does need getting used to though, as like every one else has said to jump well you need to get the timing pretty good .

 

love the kite.

[KiteAddict]

Hi, I'll have to give the Sabre another thumbs up.

 

I've been running a Kitesports Centre in New Zealand over the past year and have just returned from our Snowkiting Centre in the Southern Alps. The Sabres were our kite of choice for the season for both school and personal use.

 

It's a great all round kite and ideally suited to snowkiting, landboarding and is great in the buggy as well. It has a good balance of performance and stability, something which is particularly important in the mountains.

 

In terms of lift, for snowkiting I think they're absolutely fine, like the other posts state, they don't have 'blade' type lift as they're relatively low aspect but offer more than enough for anyone with a little self preservation ;-) The trade off with the slightly lower lift is the increased stability, smooth power delivery, depowerability and predictability, which if you're snowkiting you'll really appreciate. For snowkiting in mountain terrain they are perfect, lift isn't the pre-requisite here, stability is generally more important if you want to boost off the slopes. Too be honest if you're jumping off the top of a 30 degree slope you don't actually need that much to stay in the air for a long, long time :-) They also have a good/effective safety system, but like most other snowkites to date the release toggle is too low and can be difficult to use when face down in the snow.

 

Even on the flats, whether landboarding or snowkiting you can still boost big, you won't out jump a blade, however I think for most users the trade off is worth it.

 

Out of the 3 sizes I agree the 9.5m offers the best wind range, speed/power compromise, however the 7m is great for higher winds and for the beginner/intermediate that doesn't want to be too powered up. The 11.5m is obviously the slowest of the bunch, but when it's powered up you can get some nice big floaty air and for a large foil it turns and performs nicely. I've also been using the 11.5m and 9.5m on the water a fair bit recently and really enjoy them - just don't crash!

 

So to summarise - great depowerable foils, with very good all round performance. For snowkiting they're great for all rider abilities as terrain/wind strength will dictate the air you can get. For landboarding they're great for most levels but for big air you'll need to be powered. For buggying they're great, I've only used them half a dozen times in the buggy, but am really happy with them for general use and freestyle.

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Cheers

 

Stuart

www.kiteaddicts.com

[Jangla]

The dealer's talking b******s mate - plenty of lift. Back to back I actually find it easier to extract the lift from a Sabre than a Frenzy but that's just down to flying style.

 

I'm very, very surprised that a Flexi dealer would be giving out information so far off the mark - wonder if Flexi know?

[Wallace]

What sort of technique do you use to get air with the sabre?

[Jangla]

Same as any kite; get some speed up, load up the kite, edge a touch, swing the kite back, pull in the bar, redirect aaaaaaaaaaand land.

[Dibz]

and to add to the above, if you don't want big air but want more float, don't pull the bar in until you have redirected

[Jangla]

Just noticed I've missed one vital stage in my jump technique above - JUMP!